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Southwestern Style Saute for Freezing

If you need new ways to use up your zucchini, corn, and peppers – this recipe is for you. I got access to fresh local corn being sold 4 for $1 and had to take advantage. I bought 80 ears – I froze 9 pints of plain blanched corn, made and froze 5 pints spicy corn chowder, and froze 5 quarts of summer vegetable soup with corn. But I still had a lot left. This is what I did with it. I made this last year and added it to pots of bean chili in the winter – it was a great way to make a chili with very little prep work.

I was cooking up a few batches of this saute the other day when I needed to come up with a quick dinner. I made a Southwestern style pasta salad using this recipe, whole wheat rotini pasta, and a cilantro dressing with lime juice – my family ate it so fast I barely got any of it myself. But I got enough to be able to tell you it was so good I can’t wait to make it again. (I’ll be making it again so I can post the recipe for you!)

When contents are completely frozen - seal the bag using a vacuum sealer and label before returning it to the freezer.

Notes

I always freeze the contents of my Foodsaver bags first so that when I'm using my vacuum sealer it doesn't suck the juices out and a) prevent a perfect seal and b) collect messily in the drip tray.

This sauteed vegetable dish can be defrosted, heated, and eaten as a side dish. It can be added to chili or soups. And it can also be defrosted and added to pasta with a cilantro dressing.

When frozen in a vacuum sealed bag this will stay good in the freezer for about 8 months (possibly longer - we used ours up within 8 months). If you store it in a ziplock freezer bag - make sure you get as much air out of the bag as possible before closing it and use it up within a couple of months.

If you are cooking for less than 4 people you may wish to halve this recipe.